1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to syringes which have a variety of uses, a very common one being the use of the syringe to inject a preselected medication into a human. Syringes are used both in a professional setting such as at a hospital, clinic, or offices of doctors or other medical professionals, and also by individual users, e.g., a diabetic requiring frequent injections of insulin, this latter use being typically at the individual user""s place of residence.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The safe storage of syringes is extremely important; this is especially the case for a xe2x80x9cusedxe2x80x9d syringe which may, after the needle thereof is removed from the tissue into which it had penetrated, be contaminated with a possible deadly bacteria or virus. For a number of years, partly because of an awareness of the possible transmittal of diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS, various boxes and other containers have been developed and provided for the professional settings safe storage of used syringes. Such containers are sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9csharps-boxesxe2x80x9d. A typical sharps-box would be a container securely attached to the wall within the professional setting, with a locked cover or the like, and with an opening permitting sequential insertion of used syringes into the box. From time to time, trained staff empty the used syringes into, hopefully, a safe disposal means for handling medical waste.
Individual users, on the other hand, have not typically had such xe2x80x9csafexe2x80x9d storage arrangements. A more typical arrangement for an individual user would be to insert a used syringe into the mouth of an empty one-gallon plastic jug which, in practice, could hold a significant number of used syringes before it got full or otherwise required disposal. There are obvious risks associated with this type of storage. The user could inadvertently tip over the jug or otherwise cause one or more used syringes to come out of the container and into potential contact with the user and/or other people in that vicinity. Alternately, the user might put the filled or partly filled jug into the trash disposal system, which would create potential risk to others in society.
The individual user of syringes typically purchases syringes at a retail outlet such as a drug store, or other retailing establishment. Syringes are frequently vended in flat-like packets containing a preselected number of syringes, e.g., ten; sometimes the syringes are vended individually in single or, more typically, in bulk quantities. The user transports the unused syringes to his or her place of residence.
The present invention provides a multifunctional box for facilitating (i) the safe transport of the box and a plurality of unused syringes therein to a syringe user, (ii) the safe sequential dispensing of said unused syringes from said box, and (iii) the safe sequential feeding of used syringes into the box for safe storage therein. A typical usage of the invention would be for an individual to purchase the box (filled with unused syringes, either individual or in packets) at a vending establishment, to transport the box to his or her place of residence where the unused syringes would be withdrawn from the box as needed and the used syringes would be sequentially fed or inserted back into the box but, importantly, the used syringes would be hygienically separated from the unused syringes remaining in the box.
More specifically, the invention provides a multifunctional box comprising a container having an open top, a bottom, and a plurality of sides integral therewith defining a preselected volume for storing a preselected number of unused syringes. The syringes may be individualized or may be in packets containing a preselected number, e.g., ten. The container additionally has an exit opening adjacent to the bottom thereof, the opening being sized to permit sequential withdrawal therethrough of unused syringes.
The invention further provides a dividing tray having a bottom and a plurality of sides so as to provide a form of subcontainer. The tray is sized to fit in close but unrestricted relationship the sides of the main container. The tray is adapted to be rested upon and supported by either unused syringes positioned below, or by the bottom of the container. That is, the tray is adapted to be supported with the bottom thereof on top of a plurality of unused syringes in the container. Because the tray is not restricted from movement within the container, as unused syringes are withdrawn from the container through the aforesaid exit opening, the tray moves under the influence of gravity vertically downward towards the bottom of the container. The clearance between the sides of the container and the tray are selected to preclude the passage therebetween of a used syringe.
The invention additionally provides a cover adapted to be attached to and locked to the open top of the container. Additionally, a used syringe feed means or mechanism is positioned within and supported by the cover, and has at least one used syringe receiving means having a first preselected position for receiving a used syringe, and then being moveable, e.g., rotated to a second preselected position for feeding used syringes into the tray for safe storage therein.